Scots fishing fleet land most valuable catch in more than 10 years despite declining number of active boats

SCOTLAND'S fishermen landed £500 million worth of fish last year - their most valuable catch in more than a decade.

SCOTLAND'S fishermen landed £500 million worth of fish last year - their most valuable catch in more than a decade.

A total of 358,000 tonnes of fish were landed by Scottish vessels in 2011, with the value of the fish 15per cent higher than the previous year.

However, the figures also showed the number of active fishing boats based in Scotland and the number of fishermen were the lowest for 10 years

There were 2096 active fishing vessels, three per cent fewer than in 2010, while the number of fishermen employed in Scottish vessels dropped by four per cent to 5005 at the end of 2011.

A total of £184 million worth of pelagic fish - which includes mackerel and herring - was landed in 2011, a 44 per cent increase on the previous year.

Fishermen also landed £164 million worth of shellfish, six per cent more than in 2010, while the value of whitefish landings - such as cod and haddock - was stable at £152 million.

The provisional figures for 2011 showed that mackerel remained the most valuable species to the Scottish fleet at £163 million, with prawns the second most valuable at £83 million.

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "It's encouraging that the value of the Scottish catch has hit the highest level in a decade, demonstrating that the seafood landed by our fishermen is increasingly sought after, with most prices on the up.

"The increase was driven by mackerel, with landings worth £163 million, while high prices for prawns saw their worth increase to £83 million.

"The value of whitefish landings - led by cod, haddock and monkfish - was generally stable year-on-year while a modest reduction in fleet size reflects trends towards greater productivity and higher landings value per vessel."

But he said that given the value of mackerel to the Scottish fishing industry, the European Union (EU) must "urgently progress" plans for sanctions to tackle "reckless" overfishing of the stock by the Faroes and Iceland.

Scottish fishermen were angered in 2010 when the Faroes set a mackerel catch of 150,000 tonnes, up 75 per cent in a year and five times the agreed share from 2009, while Iceland set its own increased catch of about 147,000 tonnes .

Mr Lochhead said: "With mackerel accounting for nearly a third of the overall total, it underlines how important this stock is to Scotland.

"That's why the EU must urgently progress plans for sanctions to address the reckless overfishing of mackerel by Iceland and the Faroes. Otherwise this valuable fishery may not be there in the years to come."